The present invention relates to a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus which selects coil elements used to receive magnetic resonance signals of a subject out of a plurality of coil elements.
As a coil for receiving each magnetic resonance signal, there has been known a Phased Array Coil. When a subject is imaged using the Phased Array Coil, an operator needs to select a combination of coil elements corresponding to an imaging portion of the subject out of the Phased Array Coil. As a technique for selecting a combination of coil elements by an operator, there has been known, for example, a technology described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-175058.
In the method, a scan for acquiring an image low in resolution is performed in advance, and the operator selects the corresponding combination of coil elements by reference to the low resolution image. The method is, however, accompanied by a problem that operations executed up to the selection of the combination of the coil elements become cumbersome.
It is desirable that the problem described previously is solved.